This will probably be one of the best travel guides I write, because as you know, I had the pleasure of  living in & often visiting London . I love London because it’s a cleaner, smaller New York that’s easily accessible to traveling in Europe. A country that once ruled over every continent, thus a mixing pot of cultures.  True to their traditions yet progressive, especially when it comes to sustainability. I hope you enjoy your stay in London!

 

Getting to London

London  has one of the best flying flexibility. It’s a great hub for  layovers, especially to get cheaper flights elsewhere! Here are the main airports when flying to London:

Heathrow Airport – This is one of the most popular airports in the world! Basically every airline operates here. to London you can get an Uber (cheaper than a black cab) or you can take the Heathrow express (approx. £30 rt) which takes you to Paddington station.  Perk of the Heathrow Express is they have WiFi 🙂

London City– The most convenient airport in London! Not many international flights fly from here and when they do it’s more expensive. It is a treat if you can afford it!

Gatwick – A bit further out of the city but possible to get great deals on a flight.  I do not recommend getting a taxi because traffic is horrible and the Gatwick Express is the best. The Gatwick Express makes many stops within London and is so much faster than driving. This train also has WiFi.

Where to Stay

I feel many tourist love to stay in the Kensington area; where you will find the famous white town houses. There are SO many hotels available in that area. It also host many restaurants, cafes and easy access the most of the London sites such as Kensington Palace, Royal Albert Hall, Harrods, Notting Hill (portobello market) etc.

Personally, having lived in central London, I’m a bit biased in that I prefer to stay more central. Kensington is further west and didn’t find myself heading there often, especially on a night out. I felt more in the mix while in central London.

I didn’t stay at too many hotels in England because I lived there but I will share a few recommendations: Me Hotel, The Covent Garden Hotel, St James Trafalgar Square, The Hoxton (Holborn & Shoreditch location), The Rosewood Hotel,  The Ham Yard Hotel, The Ned, The Sea Container, Three Quays Revels.

I recently had a girls night out and stayed in the Strand Palace Hotel. It was newly renovated with a  great location on the Strand. Haxells Restaurant, located next to the lobby, was delish! One of the best Chicken Paillards (with a side of mash) I’v ever had. The Strand Palace is just walking distance to the Somerset House, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, Westminster and more if you’re up to it!

If you’re on a budget or traveling with a large group, I recommend looking at AirBnb. London is one of the cities with the most listings available.  I even noticed people in my complex hosting guest too.

What to Do & See

London is one of the most diverse cities in the world. I can’t possibly tell you everything to do and see. But, based on my experience living here for a year, I’ve broken it down by interest.

History

When you think about Great Britain, they literally ruled the world at one point. So as you can image, there is so much history. Here are a few Museums to visit: National Gallery,  Natural History Museum, The Science Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum,  Saattchi Gallery, Kensington Palace British Museum, Tower London, and Tate Modern.  I’m sure there are more, but these are all of the ones I’ve been too!

High Tea Time

Culturally this is very British! Back in the day, many people would eat dinner late at night, so once a princess started inviting friends over for afternoon teas and a light snack to hold them over. Thus evolved High Tea Time. It’s typically a tea of your choice and a tier of finger sandwiches and sweets. The scones and clout are delish!

I’ve written a separate blog outlining a few my favorite spots, click here to read more!

Sight Seeing

Tower bridge- This is my favorite bridge in London, and they have a lot. Nearby is the Tower London Museum which holds the Royal Jewels and much more!

• Shard Building– Situated on the South side of the Thames river is the Shard, named after it’s resemblance to a shard of glass. You can go up to the top for Afternoon Tea, Dinner or just the viewing section. I recommend booking ahead of time although I was able to get drinks at the bar with out one.

• Sky Garden– Located on the top of the Walky Talky (surprise it looks like one too)  in central London, the business area.  You can book lunch at the Darwin Brasserie  or buy tickets to visit the garden and see the sights. They have a little cafe and bar serving great drinks too! The Views are incredible, maybe even better than the Shard as you see more.

• Westminster– This is where you will see Big Ben & Parliament, The London Eye etc.  I highly recommend taking a water taxi to see London via the Thames river. You can get a lot of sight seeing done too. If you want to ride the London eye, again you can purchase tickets for the express line because others wait a very long time as it moves slowly. Apparently it can take up to an hour to go full circle?! I haven’t done it, yet.

 

• Trafalgar Square– Essentially home of the National Gallery and a large square with few beautiful fountains.  This is a walkable area to Covent garden, Leicester Square and  Piccadilly circus or in the opposite direction Westminster.  When I had visitors this was typically my route to bring them on to see it all.

• Buckingham Palace– Best to go when they have the changing of the guards. They put on a little show. If you are visiting from July- September you can actually go outside as the Queen opens it up to the public. Tickets are only 25 and limited space and times are available. Click here to reserve your time.

• Kensington Palace– This is where Princess Diana raised her boys William & Harry, and where William and Kate now live with their family. They have recently opened ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story you can walk through the park along side the palace.  I believe they also have a Diana Museum but it’s not always open to public so I would check online first.

 City Centers & Shops

• Covent Garden, 7 Dials, Neils Yard:  Personally I considered Covent Garden my go to spot as it was a short walk from my house. Aside from the market area, you can roam around the nearby streets looking in their stores and restaurants. I’ve stumbled upon Neils Yard and Seven Dials while headed to Covent Garden. They are all similar and within walking distance.

• Oxford Street  & Regent Street- This high street has it all, not to mention Selfridges   right next to mayfair, Marylebone is really nice too!
• Piccadilly Circus- This is considered to be their time square. It’s a busy and beautiful. They have a lot of shows nearby, franchise museums, and of course shopping

• Knights Bridge– Harrods, I mean it’s just out of this world. You can’t afford much there but it’s great to look around and the food sections are great. There are tons of other stores on the street as well.   Close to St. Alberts Hall which is stunning!
• Kensington & Notting Hill– When you think of London, I’m sure you expect the white or bold color homes. It’s a stunning residential area with local cafes and home of Portobello Market.

• Spitafields– Shopping area in East London. It’s a large open mall with many food and shopping options

Markets

There are a ton of markets in London. I’m writing a separate post to on them so stay tuned!  But, to name a few: Borough Market, Brick Lane, Camden Market, Portobello Market etc.

Definitely not something to miss!

Night Life Suggestions Based on Areas

Shoreditch: McQueens, Queen of Hoxton, The Hoxton Pony, Sunset Bar.

Oxford St/Mayfair:  Sketch, Libertines, Mnky House, Novacov, Sexy Fish, Charlies, Cirque le Soir, Madox

Soho: Jazz club , Chotto Matte, 100 Wardour St

Central- The Ned is a classic, Madison rooftop

Additional Tips

• The Zip code is essentially the exact address for a building. They start with the initials of your coordinates, SW- Southwest, N1 -North London, EC- East Central etc. You wont see many street signs as they are hidden on the building.
• Careful when crossing. You’ll be grateful for the signs! They drive on the left side of the road.
• The Holiday season is magical. They decorate the city in lights early on from October to the end of the year.

 

• You need to have a ‘Cheeky Nandos’ on a hungover day. It’s British custom
• The national plate isn’t actually Fish & Chips, it’s curry! Head to Brick Lane and negotiate the best deal. There are a plethora of options.
• City Mapper is my favorite app for directions. I love the tube, and the busses were very easy too! I felt the mass transit was very efficient and easy to use.  Although they don’t have AC which sucks in the summer.
• If you want to book tickets for the London Eye & Sky Garden book ahead of time.
• Don’t be shocked by poor restaurant service. They aren’t tipped so are be a bit slow and not attentive. Nicer restaurants are better though.
• With mass transit you can use a simply tap your contact less Credit Card to get through. If not, you can buy an oyster car to fill up.
• Must eat a 1000 calorie doughnut from Doughnut Time.

• You can take a short trip to other cities such as Brighton Beach. or even Amsterdam and Paris! It’s so close to everything!
• You must try a black cab. They are classic. Double decker bus too!
• The weather always changes drastically so it’s best to layer your outfits. It doesn’t really rain all the time but sometimes the sky is just grey and not sunny. I love the sun and it honestly wasn’t so bad.
• There aren’t many bins (garbages) in London because of the bombing years ago, so you’ll have to hold on to your rubbish until you see one.
• Try to see a show in Royal Albert Hall. It is absolutely beautiful, both inside and out!

  

• The great Banksy is from England, so you maybe lucky to spot some of his art work!
• Even if you speak English, it can certainly feel like another language here. Some common phrases are: Que= Line, Loo= Bathroom, Knackered= Tired, Bangers= Sausages, Bird= Girl, Do= an event, Hen Do= Bachelorette Party, Stag= Bachelor party, Gutted= sad, Quid= slang for money, like a’buck’, Sorted= arranged, Mind the gap= Watch the gap, Hoover=vacuum. I could go on and on!! It’s fun to figure out what people say with the context of their sentence. When they have a few pints, it’s even more challenging, hah!

• On April 20th, everyone smokes weed in Hyde Park. The police don’t bother any one, it’s like everyone gets a pass. I was shocked.
• Most of the Museums are free. Of course my favorite, The Royal Jewels in the Tower of London is approx. £26.

• If you have limited time to see all of London, you can do so quickly via boat on the River Thames. If you’re looking to go from point A-B, jump on the Clipper rather then the tube so you can take in the sites. If not, I recommend having a delicious three course meal on a river boat that takes you from Parliament to Canary Wharf. We did so on the Glass Room boat and absolutely LOVED it!

I feel like I could go on and on about London, but this travel guide would be wayyy too long. Kudos to those who have read it all the way through!

If you have additional question please don’t hesitate to reach out! I love hearing from you all

Safe travels,

Samantha Xx